US Election 2026 New Jersey House

New Jersey Democrat Analilia Mejía has won a special election to fill the U.S. House seat that was vacated by Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill after she was voted into that office. Mejía defeated Republican Joe Hathaway. Mejía is a former head of the Working Families Alliance and was backed by Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders. She emerged from a crowded primary in February and cast the race as a test of President Donald Trump’s leadership. She criticized his pardons of people convicted of Jan. 6-related crimes and faulted him for freezing funds authorized by Congress. Hathaway cast Mejía as too far left to represent the suburban district.